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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27235021">far into the night</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/redhales/pseuds/redhales'>redhales</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Produce 101 (TV), UP10TION, VICTON (Band), X1 (Korea Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>5+1 Things, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Change of POVs, Crack, Enemies to Lovers, M/M, and some x1 too, vic10tion ensamble</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 22:07:21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>7,809</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27235021</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/redhales/pseuds/redhales</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The funniest thing happened when they finally decided to tell their friends. Or really even before that, when their friends mistakenly caught them together before they could even decide how to tell them.<br/>Too bad no one actually believed them.</p><p>or</p><p>Five times no one believes that Wooseok and Seungwoo are dating, and the one time they finally figure out that they’re wrong.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Han Seungwoo/Kim Wooseok | Wooshin</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>50</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Flower Born From Fire Fic Fest</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>far into the night</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p><i>#034</i><br/><i>five times no one believes that wooseok and seungwoo are dating, and the one time they finally figure out that they’re wrong</i> </p><p> <br/>thank you prompter for this beautiful prompt! i hope you won't be too disappointed by this, i tried my best!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Seungwoo and Wooseok had always been a weird match. The story of how they got together was actually really funny and it sounded like something out of a rom-com film. They’d known each other for years, ever since they went to high school and they both had a crush on the same boy, Seungyoun. Half of the students in their school could say they’d witnessed the two of them have melodramatic fights in the middle of the school’s canteen, in the parking lot and even during a football game. They were the sort of enemies that couldn’t let each other live whenever they came across each other in the hallways, starting with a half-whispered comment leading up to snappy back and forths. It all began with comments about how they would be a better boyfriend for Seungyoun than the other, but at some point nobody really knew what they were really fighting about. The thing was, both Seungwoo and Wooseok were quite lowkey, so their hostility mostly consisted in them bickering like two kindergarten children.</p><p>But then Seungyoun started dating his classmate Yibo, and everyone in the school could see how much they were made for each other, so there was no way anyone could come between them. The news left Seungwoo and Wooseok not only heartbroken, but also with no more excuses to tease and bother each other. They soon moved on and lost touch after the end of high school. Seungwoo moved to the other side of the city to attend college, whereas Wooseok stayed in the area to go to a local university. Aside from the regular bickering, they hadn’t really interacted much with each other and had different groups of friends, so they had no reasons to keep talking.</p><p>What no one could have predicted was that, after the end of university and years during which they had totally forgotten about each other’s existence, one of Seungwoo’s closest friends, Hanse, started dating Wooseok’s friend and roommate, Dongyeol. The night they unexpectedly met again after so long was when their friends had a big gathering to bring their groups together and have everyone meet and get to know the others. Wooseok almost walked out the door again as soon as he entered the pub and spotted a smiling and oblivious Seungwoo sitting between Jinhoo and Sooil. But Jinhyuk dragged him in and led him to sit in front of them on that same booth and, as soon as Seungwoo lifted his gaze and looked at Wooseok, it felt like they were back in high school.</p><p>“Hey dickhead”, greeted Wooseok.</p><p>A collective groan rose from their friends.</p><p>“Please not again”</p><p>“I though you guys left the brattiness in high school”</p><p>But no one noticed Seungwoo’s small smile, somehow happy to be back to that old, weird routine.</p><p>What certainly no one – not even Seungwoo and Wooseok – expected, was for them to slowly put the rivalry aside and become way closer than needed.</p><p>Of course it was no longer about Seungyoun – which wasn’t Yibo’s boyfriend anymore but his husband, and was somehow part of their extended group of friends now. At the beginning they fell back into their old habits because they basically didn’t know a thing about each other. Bickering was easy because it didn’t require to know the other one, but as time went by they got to meet at least once a week because of their friends. At some point, without even knowing how, they started talking until they managed to have a fairly long conversation without a single insult in it. And then one night, Seungwoo asked Wooseok his number. It wasn’t even done with any subtle intention: he asked Wooseok for advice regarding a work issue and promised to keep him updated, hence the numbers exchange.</p><p>The way they started dating was actually a natural process. A few phone calls until it was so late they both fell asleep with their phones pressed to their ears, turned into a coffee date, and then dinner. And, before he even knew how he got there, Wooseok was kissing Seungwoo in front of his building after the other boy had walked him home.</p><p>He realized now how stupid their whole feud had been, when instead they could’ve been friends or even more since day one. But they were just immature high school boys, both filled with too much ego to let go of the teasing. What mattered now was that they had all the time in the world to make up for lost time.</p><p>There was just a little obstacle: no one of their friends knew about the development of their relationship. It wasn’t like they didn’t want to tell them, but everyone had been so busy that neither Wooseok or Seungwoo had thought about mentioning it to anyone. After all it wasn’t that big of a deal, they started going out as friends and then it unexpectedly turned into something more. So they decided to date for a while, just to see if they could work out as a couple.</p><p>The funniest thing happened when they finally decided to tell their friends. Or really even before that, when their friends mistakenly caught them together before they could even decide how to tell them.</p><p>Too bad no one actually believed them.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>one </em>
</p><p>The first time it happened it was their three months anniversary and they made a joke out of it.</p><p>Neither of them had talked to anyone about their relationship, mostly because it was too soon and they had no idea about what could’ve happened in the future, despite both of them having expressed the intention to be serious about their relationship.</p><p>It was a regular Saturday night and everyone was supposed to meet at an exclusive pub that someone had found on Instagram. Wooseok had been grumpy all week: it was his and Seungwoo’s anniversary and they couldn’t spend it alone together. To be honest they didn’t care much about month anniversaries and the previous times they’d totally forgotten about them, but now it was on the weekend and they wanted to take advantage of the perfect day to make something special just the two of them. The problem was, they couldn’t bail on their friends without coming clean about their relationship, it would’ve been too weird if both of them made up excuses not to go.</p><p>All of Wooseok’s ideas about how to get out of the situation suddenly became useless when he woke up on Saturday morning with a high fever and a stuffy nose.</p><p>So Wooseok ended up spending his Saturday night wrapped up in a warm blanket on the couch, a cup of hot tea in his hands while he mindlessly watched some historical drama on television. Every now and then his eyes followed Yohan, his roommate and friend, who was rushing from one room to the other of the apartment, picking up stray clothes and accessories and looking for the right outfit. Whenever he asked Wooseok advice on which shirt should he pair with those jeans or whether that necklace was appropriate or not, he only received an annoyed grumble in response. It was unfair that Yohan got to go out with their friends and be in the same room as Seungwoo while Wooseok was left home, with no alcohol and no boyfriend.</p><p>But what Wooseok hadn’t counted on was Seungwoo managing to make up a sudden work emergency and bail last minute.</p><p>When Yohan – already too late – shouted a rushed goodbye and opened the front door to storm out of the apartment, he found himself face to face with someone. From his spot on the couch Wooseok couldn’t see who was at the door, but after a couple of seconds he heard a too familiar voice.</p><p>“Y-Yohanie, you’re still here?”</p><p>Seungwoo’s voice was startled and unsure, as if he wasn’t expecting Yohan to be inside his own house.</p><p>“Yeah, hyung, why are you here? I don’t think I asked you to pick me up…?”</p><p>A tense silence filled the room. Wooseok still couldn’t see Seungwoo’s face but he could imagine what he looked like while he tried to mask the panic and make up something on the spot to justify his presence there. There was no doubt that Seungwoo had decided to come and see Wooseok because he thought Yohan would already be well on his way to the pub.</p><p>“No. No I’m not coming tonight. A work thing came up and I can’t….” the sentence died on Seungwoo’s lips the moment he moved and was finally able to look inside the apartment. Their eyes locked and something shifted in Seungwoo.</p><p>“Actually, no” he started, looking back at Yohan. “I’m not coming tonight because Wooseok is sick and I want to take care of him…. since I am his boyfriend.”</p><p>Everything stopped for a few seconds. Yohan’s gaze wandered back and forth between his friends but his face was completely devoid of any emotion that could’ve helped Seungwoo understand whether he’d done the worst mistake of his life by telling him about their relationship.</p><p>Finally Yohan’s serious expression broke out in one of pure glee and a loud laugh tumbled out of him.</p><p>“Hyung! Your jokes are getting weirder and weirder oh god! You need to update your repertoire,” he walked around Seungwoo to get out of the apartment, leaving the door open behind him. “Bye!” and then they heard him muttering “His boyfriend! He wishes he was his boyfriend. Oh, hyung” he called behind him as he entered the elevator, “don’t be late, I heard we won’t be let inside if we’re more than thirty minutes late”.</p><p>And then he disappeared behind the elevator door.</p><p>Seungwoo shrugged, half offended by the insinuation that Wooseok would never date him and half confused about the entire exchange. Then, unconcerned about Yohan’s admonishment to not be late, he walked inside the apartment and closed the door behind himself. After all, he had already decided how and where to spend the night.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>two</em>
</p><p>The autumn had arrived quite suddenly, sweeping away the sunny days with a gust of wind. Before he knew it, the warm temperature had turned into a fresh breeze until it got so cold Seungwoo couldn’t leave the house without a padded coat and gloves to keep him warm. The mornings were especially harsh, considered he preferred to leave his house soon after the sun had risen to avoid the morning rush and get to his office before the streets got too crowded.</p><p>The tight rhythm he imposed on himself left him most of the time drained by the end of the week and he tried to relax as much as he could during the weekend. That’s why he felt particularly grateful when he got offered the perfect opportunity to spend two whole days away from home and the stress. One of his friends, Seungsik, had recently moved to a new house. He came from a wealthy family so he’d always lived comfortably, then his job as a lawyer had contributed to his independence from his family. Still, he liked to treat himself and, with his inheritance, he’d bought a house on the outskirts of Seoul. Whenever Seungwoo got invited to stay over at Seungsik’s new house, he took it as an opportunity to both spend quality time with his friend and isolate himself from the world.</p><p>Seungsik's house had - among everything else - an indoor pool. It was by far Seungwoo's favourite room, he couldn't count how many hours he'd spend in there, either swimming until he couldn't feel his limbs anymore, or just lounging in a chair with his friend. Seungwoo also couldn't remember how many times he had sit by the edge of the pool, his legs swinging back and forth in the water, telling Seungsik about his biggest secrets and worst fears. The low blue lights and the acoustics of the room made him feel like he was in a fever dream. It seemed like everything that got said in there would stay there forever, and it wouldn't follow him outside, like a dream vanishing once you wake up.</p><p>When Seungsik decided to invite a few friends over for the weekend, Seungwoo gladly accepted: he couldn't remember when was the last time he'd allowed himself to stop for a couple of days and rest, and this was the perfect way to have some time off and allow his body to regain energy. It was only when he told Wooseok that he'd go away for the weekend that he found out that his boyfriend was invited too. He couldn’t hide his surprise: Seungsik and Wooseok weren't the closest of friends, they mostly met at parties or whenever a few other friends (most of the times Seungwoo) went out together, but he didn’t think he’d ever seen the two of them have a conversation. But he was grateful that he got to spend a couple of days of total relax and, if his boyfriend got to be there as well, it would be much better.</p><p>The weekend went by in a blur and, before Seungwoo even realized it, it was already the last afternoon they got to spend together. Those three days with his friends in such a beautiful and relaxing place had been therapeutic, which was exactly what he needed after stressing so much over work for the last few weeks. Since the last time he’d been there, Seungsik had also had a sauna installed, which made the whole experience even more enjoyable. There was only one thing Seungwoo regretted: even though he got to spend a lot of time with his friends, just being together, eating great food, relaxing and talking a lot, he felt like it was such a waste that he couldn’t enjoy more time with Wooseok. Sure, they definitely weren’t the sort of couple who needed to spend every waking hour glued to each other, but it would’ve been good to have at least a few minutes just to themselves.</p><p>That’s when Seungwoo had an idea. After having cleaned the mess they’d made in the kitchen during lunch time, their friends all headed toward the pool. In a split second Seungwoo realized that he could steal Wooseok for a while and, when he looked at his boyfriend, he found him already looking in his direction – probably just out of pure luck. He barely had to nod toward the stairs that led to the upper floor for Wooseok to immediately understand his intentions. He headed upstairs first, while everyone was still figuring out where they’d put their towel or the flip flops before abandoning themselves in the calming embrace of the water. He slipped into the room closest to the stairs because he didn’t want to waste time finding a proper hideout. Everyone else would be in the pool anyway, so he didn’t have to worry about anyone coming in. A few seconds later the door opened and Wooseok walked in. As soon as the door closed behind him and his eyes landed on Seungwoo, Wooseok’s expression broke out in a smile.</p><p>“Hey, you,” Wooseok whispered, as if their friends could hear him over the sound of the splashes.</p><p>“Hi,” Seungwoo replied, grabbing him by the shirt and pulling him against his own body.</p><p>Before he even realized what was happening, Seungwoo had his lips on Wooseok’s and both hands up the younger’s shirt. The distance he’d forced on their relationship during the past couple of days of living within the same house suddenly came apart as he finally found himself alone with his boyfriend. Seungwoo hadn’t realized how much he’d missed Wooseok until he’d held him in his arms.</p><p>In the span of a few minutes, both their shirts had been thrown somewhere on the other side of the room and Seungwoo grabbed Wooseok’s waist, ready to push him on the bed a few steps away from them, when someone outside the room grabbed the handle and pushed the door open. They instinctively jumped away from each other as if they got burned, but there wasn’t enough time to retrieve their lost shirts, so they just dumbly stood there, motionless, just waiting to be seen.</p><p>A split second later the two of them found themselves staring at Seungyoun, who seemed surprised to find someone else already in the room. The other boy stopped on the threshold, his eyes wandering from Seungwoo to Wooseok, probably trying to come up with an explanation to the scene in front of him. <em>That’s it</em>, Seungwoo thought. <em>Someone is finally going to realize and we didn’t even have to do anything!</em></p><p>Seungwoo’s thought didn’t even fully take form, when Seungyoun smiled and…</p><p>“Good, you’re changing too! I didn’t realize you guys put your clothes in this room. Can you wait for me to change? I just have to find my swimsuit…”</p><p>Before he finished talking, Seungyoun rushed to the corner of the room, where a luggage definitely too big for a single person laid open, with clothes coming out of it as if it had puked them all over the floor. And when he started rummaging through its contents, they knew it could take him a while.</p><p>Seungwoo rolled his eyes and looked at Wooseok. The younger was so shocked by Seungyoun's obliviousness that he apparently couldn’t even find the strength to get mad, so he threw an apologetic glance Seungwoo’s way, picked up his shirt a few feet away from an unbothered Seungyoun, and left the room.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>three</em>
</p><p>It was a rainy Thursday and Wooseok’s only wish was to curl up in bed and sleep until the next day. He had been sitting on the windowsill for hours, reading a book with the sound of the rain almost resembling a lullaby. If he had to be honest, spending the whole day cooped up inside his apartment wasn’t how he’d imagined his day off, but it still was better than try and face the terrible weather outside.</p><p>Wooseok would’ve gladly spent a couple more hours reading and maybe checking his emails. The thought of a warm bath had already insinuated in his mind a while ago and he could already feel the hot water scalding his pale skin and the sweet fragrance of a couple of lit candles.</p><p>Except he couldn’t have any of that because, just like he’d feared earlier, he had to go out and venture into the ongoing storm. Early that day, as soon as he’d seen the gloomy sky and the cascading rain from underneath the safety and heat of his blankets, he’d sworn he wouldn’t have left the house under any circumstances. Apparently Eunsang didn’t accept that condition because he’d nagged Wooseok so much he’d finally convinced him (more like forced him) to go out and meet at a nearby café. Wooseok had no idea why the younger wanted to see him so badly on such a terrible day, but by now he was equally annoyed and curious. He figured it must’ve been something really important, so much it couldn’t have waited another day.</p><p>Half an hour before the agreed time, Wooseok finally gathered the strength to get up and get dressed. He tried to wear as many layers as possible to avoid the biting cold he was sure would wait for him outside, then he wore a raincoat, grabbed an umbrella and went out. As soon as he stepped out of the elevator, a cold gust of wind coming in from the open door made him shiver. Wooseok wasn’t even outside yet and he damned Eunsang already for making him leave his house.</p><p>The rain showed no intentions of stopping pouring anytime soon, so he took a deep breath and walked out of the building without thinking further. If he kept waiting there for the weather to get slightly better, he probably would never make it outside and just ride the elevator back up to hide forever in the safety and warmth of his bedroom. The road was slippery but Wooseok kept a steady pace and dared to raise his glance only when he was halfway there and just because he had to cross the street. He wanted that torture to last as little as possible and basically running through the streets was the only possible way he could do that. When he finally stepped inside the café, he was so relieved and pleased by the warm smell of coffee and pastries that hit his face that he couldn’t help but sigh out loud. He looked around until he saw a raised hand waving at him from one of the tables at the back. When Wooseok finally flopped onto a chair, he felt like he’d walked halfway through Seoul instead of just a few blocks.</p><p>Eunsang was totally unaware of Wooseok’s struggle, instead he was naïvely smiling at him from his place on the other side of the small table with his hands wrapped around a steaming mug. Wooseok immediately made grabby hands at it.</p><p>“Please gimme….”, Wooseok whined.</p><p>Eunsang backed up slightly in his chair, as if to protect his prized drink. “It’s mine. Don’t’ worry, I already ordered a new one for you!”</p><p>Suddenly Wooseok could forgive Eunsang for making him go out of his nest.</p><p>Speaking of which.</p><p>He was about to ask the younger why he’d asked to meet, when a waiter approached them and silently placed a mug in front of Wooseok. Black Americano. He immediately looked at Eunsang, wondering whether he was drinking coffee as well, since he’d said he’d ordered the same thing for Wooseok, but the boy seemed to read his expression well.</p><p>“It’s chocolate for me,” he smiled like a mischievous kid who had tricked his parents and for once Wooseok really got to see how young his friend was.</p><p>Wooseok smiled in thanks and raised the mug to his lips, first inhaling the comforting smell, then tasting a sip of the strong liquid. When he settled once again the mug on the table, still keeping his hands wrapped around it, he met Eunsang’s eyes.</p><p>“So, how come you wanted me to go out in this infernal weather and meet you here?”, Wooseok asked with the sweetest, fakest smile he could manage.</p><p>“Oh, right!”</p><p>Eunsang seemed to have just remembered that they were there because of his request, then he rummaged into the bag he had abandoned on the free chair until he managed to find what he was looking for and placed it on the table in front of Wooseok: it was a thin white envelope, with light blue doodles on the top right corner and a writing in cursive on the opposite corner.</p><p>“What’s this?”</p><p>“It’s an invitation to my birthday party! Hyung, don’t you remember? It’s on October 26, right before yours.”</p><p>“So you called me here….to invite me to your birthday party?”</p><p>“Yes”</p><p>“And you absolutely couldn’t give it to me any other day?”</p><p>“I though the rain would set the perfect mood to come to this adorable café and, since it’s close to your apartment, I thought I’d also bring you this.”</p><p>Wooseok wanted to be mad but Eunsang’s clueless expression was so adorable he could only manage to blow out a sigh. Who even made invitations to regular birthday parties at this time and age? The envelope looked so fancy it could’ve very well been a wedding invitation. He wouldn’t be surprised if he found out that Eunsang had drawn all the doodles on every single envelope by himself, probably thinking that it’s be more personal and special. He took the envelope to give it a better look and his gaze fell on the thin lettering curling around on the bottom.</p><p>“Eunsang-ah,” Wooseok called, his eyes still on the letter. “Why did you add a plus one? The guys are going to be there, it’s not like I’ll be on my own”</p><p>“Seungwoo said he’s going to come with someone, so I thought you should bring someone of your own too. It’s been so long since you had a boyfriend, maybe you can invite someone you like!”, Eunsang said with a big bright smile on his face.</p><p>So, Seungwoo said he was going to bring someone to the party. It was definitely Wooseok’s clue to make things clear once and for all.</p><p>“Actually, Eunsang,” Wooseok started, placing once again the envelope on the table and meeting the younger’s eyes. “The person Seungwoo is going to bring to the party is me. That’s why I’m not going to bring a date. Seungwoo is my boyfriend.”</p><p>The words fell easily out of his mouth and the feeling of coming clean to his friend was sort of liberating. So he looked expectantly at Eunsang, waiting for his reaction, but he received in response only a sigh and a disappointed look.</p><p>“Yeah, sure. Your boyfriend. Really, you should try and invite someone instead of always going with your friends. Do you want me to set you up with someone? There’s this friend of mine from university…..”</p><p>And that’s when Wooseok’s mind wandered somewhere else, missing whatever Eunsang was saying about this great boy from his art class. He wrapped his hands again around his still warm cup of coffee and took a sip. Why was it so hard for his friends to realize that Seungwoo and him were really dating? Wooseok made a note to himself to try and be more obvious about their relationship. Maybe that way they could finally see the truth.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>four</em>
</p><p>As the winter approached, people naturally looked more and more forward to the comfort and heath of the indoor spaces. At the end of November the streets started filling with Christmas lights, just as much as coffee shops and pubs filled with people looking for a temporary shelter from the cold. Seungwoo had never really enjoyed cooping himself up inside of shops or restaurants for hours on end, too bothered by the never-ending noise and proximity to hundreds of strangers. Instead, he was always down for a stroll in the park or in the streets of the city centre. For Seungwoo there really was nothing like buying a warm drink from a food truck and taking a walk with his favourite people, walking side by side in silence while the noise from the city around them made them feel alive. That’s what he liked to do as soon as the Christmas season started, and he surely didn’t want to give up on that simple pleasure of life.</p><p>One evening he was running late at work. He had arranged earlier to meet up with Wooseok, Hanse and Dongyeol to have an early dinner and go home before it got too late and too cold, but when he finally managed to emerge from his office it was way past dinnertime already and it was freezing. Despite that, when he walked out of his company’s building he saw his friends waiting for him on the other side of the street, sitting on a bench and talking animatedly as if they hadn’t been there for three hours.</p><p>“Why didn’t you go home?” Seungwoo complained, already feeling like too much of a bother for having their friends wait for him for such a long time. “When I said I was busy, it was implied that you didn’t have to wait for me!”</p><p>“We didn’t have any plans for the night,” Hanse replied, smiling up at him.</p><p>“It’s Wooseok’s turn to clean our apartment and I’m supporting his rebellion,” Dongyeol said, inspecting his own nails.</p><p>“How sweet,” Wooseok said with the most unimpressed  voice ever.</p><p>“Nah, just kidding, I don’t want Yohan to make me clean in your place.”</p><p>Wooseok’s signature fierce glare was back and he was about to answer back, when Hanse interrupted the bickering by handing Seungwoo a bag.</p><p>“Here! We weren’t sure if you wanted to have dinner since it's late, so we bought you some snacks.”</p><p>Seungwoo gladly accepted the bag with a soft smile. Not for the first time his heart swelled with affection for his friends. As one of the oldest in their group, he usually was the one to take care of everyone else. It wasn’t a bother, at the beginning everyone simply saw him as the responsible adult and always turned to him whenever they needed help with anything. But Seungwoo never told anyone how much he loved and needed to be taken care of. Maybe the only person from their group who he had been honest with was Wooseok, but still it’d taken him months to admit to his boyfriend that stripping of all the responsibilities was his guilty pleasure and helped him feel more in balance with everyone else.</p><p>Since his friends had been sitting in the cold for hours Seungwoo didn’t want to make them wait any longer, so he promised he would eat the snacks later and, on the pretext of needing some movement after sitting for so long in the office, he set off. A few minutes later and they were strolling toward the main street.</p><p>The evening was brisk enough to require a jacket, but not particularly cold. Having predicted a cold day before going out of his house in the morning, Seungwoo was also wearing a scarf. It wasn’t needed, but having the extra warmth definitely felt nice for Seungwoo, who’d spent the whole day in a heated office and was particularly sensitive to the light wind.</p><p>They walked for half an hour before Seungwoo realized no one had any idea where they were headed, but it was probably better that way. Walking around without a definite destination, just admiring Seoul by night at the start of winter was the best way he could think of to end the day. Seungwoo realized that they hadn’t even said much to one another, and he gladly noticed that the silence between them wasn't uncomfortable at all. Spending some time with people without feeling the need to say anything and without the atmosphere becoming awkward wasn’t something easy that could simply be accomplished in life, and Seungwoo was really glad his relationship with his friends allowed him to be so open and carefree.</p><p>Just when they were heading toward the bank of the river, a colder gust of wind swiped over them and Seungwoo saw Wooseok shiver. Just then he noticed that his boyfriend was wearing a lighter jacket than his own and realized it was weird, considering Wooseok had always been particularly sensitive to the cold. Without thinking about it, Seungwoo removed his own scarf and wrapped it around Wooseok’s neck.</p><p>“What were you thinking, wearing such a light jacket when it’s getting so cold outside…”</p><p>Wooseok smiled shyly, muttering something about forgetting to check the weather before going out, but he happily accepted the scarf and buried his nose into the fabric to try and chase what was left on it of Seungwoo’s scent.</p><p>Neither of them realized that their whole exchange had an audience, and only noticed when said audience – namely, Hanse – cleared his throat to catch their attention.</p><p>“You two better stop, otherwise someone may think you’re dating or something”</p><p>And then he grabbed Dongyeol’s hand and walked past them.</p><p><em>Or something</em>, Seungwoo muttered. But this time it looked like, weirdly enough, Wooseok wasn’t bothered by the lack of understanding from his friends. Instead, his cheeks had coloured with a dark shade of pink – whether it was from the cold or embarrassment, Seungwoo didn’t know. He just knew he enjoyed admiring it, and he pressed a quick kiss on one of Wooseok’s cheeks, making him jump, before resuming his walk.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>five</em>
</p><p>It was freezing cold in Seoul and Seungwoo wanted nothing more than go back to his room and snuggle up under the blankets with Wooseok. Instead he was trapped on the tiny balcony of his apartment, smashed among at least ten other people. Inviting everyone over for New Year’s Eve had probably been the worst idea he’d ever had. Who would even want to end the year with a group of screaming boys, who left crumbs and food wrappings all over his living room floor and brought their own karaoke machine to someone else’s party? Too bad Seungwoo loved those fools too much, at the cost of having to spend the entire following day cleaning the mess they’d made and rubbing soy sauce out of his expensive couch.</p><p>Everyone had accordingly decided to step out on the balcony at 11.30 pm, no matter how cold it was or that such a small space wasn’t really ideal to accommodate all those people. They didn’t even care that it was still pretty quiet outside or that not everyone wanted to freeze their bones for at least half an hour. When Hangyul stood up, clapped his hands and walked toward the balcony window, all of them had gotten the clue, dragging a grumpy Seungwoo with them. And there he was now, with the cold air hitting his face and smashed against Wooseok’s side – not that he minded this last part. At least this situation had led to something good: while Seungwoo had avoided to sit too close to his boyfriend for the whole night, now that they were in such a small space he could cherish the physical contact without being too obvious.</p><p>But as annoyed as he was by the fireworks’ noises and the cold, Seungwoo couldn’t help but look around himself and impress that moment in his mind. He was so lucky to have people to spend the end of the year with, and start a new year hopefully filled with as many happy moments as possible. He deserved it. They all did. And he wouldn’t trade those people for the whole world, despite their flaws and the fact that they’d been bugging Seungwoo for the most part of those last few years.</p><p>Suddenly hit by a shiver, Seungwoo stealthily sneaked his arm around Wooseok’s waist and pulled him closer to his chest. When their eyes met, he smiled shily at his boyfriend. For a moment Seungwoo almost felt like a scared teenager who wasn’t ready yet to share his feelings, he felt like their love must stay a secret. And then he remembered that they had tried to tell their friends about their relationship for a few weeks - unsuccessfully. And it was right then, just when everyone started chanting the countdown for the New Year, that Seungwoo made a choice. He didn’t care about what everyone thought: he wanted that moment to be his and Wooseok’s.</p><p>And when the countdown reached zero, Seungwoo leaned down and pressed his lips against Wooseok’s. At first they were lost in their own world. Everything stilled around them, Seungwoo couldn't feel the cold anymore, all the noise from the fireworks and the cheers subsided. Only Wooseok existed, nothing more outside of the two of them.</p><p>Then a scream, and the magic was broken.</p><p>“Woahhh look at them!”, Hangyul screamed from the other side of the balcony.</p><p>Seungwoo broke off the kiss, but didn’t move his arm away from Wooseok. Finally he became aware of what he’d just done. He had kissed his boyfriend in front of his friends, as if it was something totally normal. They’d tried to tell them with words, but maybe they needed to show them with actions. Maybe that was the right move to finally make their friends understand that they were really together and it wasn’t just a prank. Until…</p><p>“Wow, Wooseok, you really were serious about that bad luck thing,” Yohan said. “So serious you kissed whoever was closest to you. Thank god it wasn’t me!”</p><p>“You know that you survive even if you don’t kiss someone on New Year’s Eve, right?”, Seungyoun joked.</p><p>“Bold of you to say that, since you were literally glued to your husband’s face five seconds ago,” an obviously annoyed Dongpyo muttered right next to the couple.</p><p>A few laughs broke out, but soon everyone went back to their own business, taking pictures of the scenery or answering to other friends’ texts to wish them a happy new year, and the joke was promptly forgotten. When Seungwoo’s gaze was back on Wooseok, he noticed his resolute face. Too resolute. He knew him enough to realize that nothing good would come from that determination and, before a storm could ruin the moment, he squeezed the younger’s waist to get his attention. When Wooseok’s eyes finally were on him again, Seungwoo shook his head slightly.</p><p>“Not now. Not tonight,” he whispered so softly the words didn’t leave the space between them.</p><p>Wooseok kept staring at him for a few moments with his inscrutable eyes. He looked like the idea of finally bursting out and make a scene was too tempting to let it go, but then he finally calmed down and, with a nod, he went back to look at the fireworks.</p><p>If Seungwoo had to be honest, he agreed that the idea of coming clean to their friends and start the new year without secrets was seriously enticing, but he also knew that it was a conversation that’d take way more than a couple of minutes. As he looked around himself, the sight of all those happy smiles lightened his heart. If it meant that his friends would have a peaceful night without too much drama, then he'd gladly put up with the uneasiness of having to keep a secret from some of the most important people of his life. And he hoped Wooseok could be patient for just a little longer.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>+ one</em>
</p><p>It wasn’t easy to surprise Seungwoo. Not because he didn’t appreciate people’s efforts in try and surprise him – he actually loved when his friends took the time to prepare something for him, it made him feel even more appreciated than the usual – but because at this point he was careful enough to realize whenever something was going to happen. Sure, the fact that his friends weren’t exactly the most discreet people on earth definitely helped him understand easily whenever they were up to something.</p><p>But still, he wasn’t prepared for what he found when he opened the door to Wooseok’s apartment that night. They didn’t have any plans to meet up, until Wooseok texted him in the afternoon, asking him to go pick up something at his apartment when he was done with work. He didn’t give any details and Seungwoo was too busy and didn’t have the time to ask more, so he just forgot everything about it until he was already out of his office. He had a spare key to Wooseok’s apartment, added to his own set of keys a few months earlier for emergencies, so he didn’t have to ring the bell. As soon as he unlocked the door all he could see inside was darkness, and for a moment he thought there had been a misunderstanding between Wooseok and him. Maybe he was supposed to come over another day and he was so distracted that his brain got the wrong information? But just when he was about to pick his phone from the pocket and call Wooseok, the soft light of a candle suddenly lit up the living room. Seungwoo opened the door wider and the cold neon light coming from the hallway flooded in, revealing a busy Wooseok while he was moving stuff around on a table placed in the middle of the room.</p><p>“Oh come on, close the door, you’re ruining the atmosphere! Come in!” he snapped.</p><p>Seungwoo walked further into the apartment and he could finally see what was going on. Wooseok was placing things on what looked like the folding table they usually kept in the storage closet for when they had too many people over to fit on their kitchen table. A nice tablecloth had been placed on it, plates filled with different types of food, a bottle of wine with two glasses, and a candle holder in the middle with a couple of lit candles to complete the setting. Immediately Seungwoo panicked and racked his brain to remember if he'd missed a special occasion or a meaningful date for them that he’d missed. Surely not their anniversary. Was there something else that they had a reason to celebrate?</p><p>Before he could think further, Wooseok finished arranging the last plate and turned around to face him. The way he immediately understood what was going on in Seungwoo’s mind just by a look told a lot about how well they knew each other.</p><p>“No, don’t worry, you didn’t forget anything.”</p><p>Then Wooseok walked closer to him and started taking his jacket off.</p><p>“I just felt like we haven’t had any time for us in a long time. Every time we go out there’s always someone else and I wanted to have a romantic evening just for us.”</p><p>Then he led Seungwoo to one of the chairs and lightly pushed him on to it.</p><p>“What about your roomates?” Seungwoo wondered out loud.</p><p>“I sent them to the cinema saying that I needed some time alone. Had to pay the ticket for all of them, though. Totally worth it,” he said with a small smile. “You better eat everything, I cooked all by myself.”</p><p>Seungwoo looked down at the food on the table and he felt so grateful that he almost thought about skipping dinner and just kissing Wooseok until he couldn’t feel his lips anymore. But the younger had put so much dedication in planning the perfect date that Seungwoo didn’t have the heart to waste his efforts. Wooseok wasn’t big on cooking, every meal was the perfect excuse to order delivery and the only reason he probably had a decent enough eating habit was because of his magnanimous roommates who cooked enough food to feed him as well. So the fact that for once he’d been so thoughtful to look up the recipes, buy the ingredients and carefully cook every dish really moved Seungwoo.</p><p>They were halfway through dinner and Seungwoo was really enjoying the food. He was holding his chopsticks with one hand, while the other clasped Wooseok’s fingers tightly on the table. It was taking him twice as long to eat with just one hand, but he had no intentions to let his boyfriend’s hand go. Just when he was about to bring another bite of food to his mouth, the front door opened, making him freeze with the chopsticks raised in front of his wide-open mouth.</p><p>Both of them turned toward the noise and watched with horror as all their friends rushed into the apartment. At the beginning it looked like no one saw them, too busy taking off their wet shoes and their soaked hoodies and jackets – it looked like they had been surprised by the rain and decided to postpone their little trip to the cinema. When finally Yohan – the one further inside the room – raised his head to glance around, a confused look appeared on his face.</p><p>“What’s going on here?”</p><p>The question – and consequently the table setting – got everyone’s attention and an awkward silence filled the room. Seungwoo realized that he was still holding his food up, and he lowered it into the plate, but his other hand didn’t let Wooseok go.</p><p>“Wait, Wooseok, you never cook for me and now you cooked for <em>him</em>?” Dongyeol cried out.</p><p>Everyone turned around to look at the boy with disappointed glares and Jinhoo, the closest to him, lightly hit the back of his head, muttering “Does it look like this is the main problem here?”</p><p>Finally, Wooseok got up to face his friends, never letting go of Seungwoo’s hand.</p><p>“Okay, you better listen to me now because I’m going to say it just once more and I expect all of you to stop acting so stupid. I’m dating Seungwoo,” Wooseok raised their joined hands, as if to prove what he’d just said. “We’ve been trying to tell you for months but you never took us seriously.”</p><p>“But you can’t be dating,” Hanse said, taken aback. “You two hate each other.”</p><p>“That was a long time ago,” Seungwoo chipped in.</p><p>“Do you guys seriously think we still hate each other over Seungyoun,” Wooseok said, nodding toward Seungyoun himself, “when we go out with him <em>and his husband</em> every week?”</p><p>The question seemed to bring everyone back to reality. Realization and confusion appeared at the same time on everyone’s faces, and their silence suggested that they were trying to connect the dots, thinking about the past few months and every occasion in which they’d overlooked every tiny action that could’ve hinted to their relationship.</p><p>“Why didn’t you guys tell us?” Eunsang’s voice was soft and sympathetic.</p><p>Wooseok turned his murderous glare toward his friend.</p><p>“You offered to set me up with one of your university friends when I said I’d be going to your party with Seungwoo!”</p><p>“WHAT???” Seungwoo’s voice shrilled through the room.</p><p>“Okay, everyone calm down!” Jinhoo stepped in. Then he turned to Wooseok and Seungwoo. “I’m sorry. I think I speak for everyone here but I’m so sorry if we never took you seriously. I guess we never imagined you two would be a good couple but I’m glad you’re proving us wrong. We just want you to be happy,” he concluded, then turned to everyone else, “right?”</p><p>A chorus of indistinguishable exclamations filled the room and, before he could realize what was happening, Seungwoo was dragged out of his chair and both him and Wooseok got pulled into a giant group hug. Everything was happening so quickly that Seungwoo felt dizzy. Just a few minutes earlier he was having a romantic dinner, cherishing the company of the person he loved the most in the world, and the next moment he found himself in the same room with a dozen of people struggling to understand how he could’ve fallen in love with his high school archenemy. Thinking about the situation from that point of view, Seungwoo himself wondered how all of that could have happened. When did he fall in love with the guy that a few years earlier wouldn’t have let him walk past him without shouting an insult his way? Ten years earlier Seungwoo wouldn’t have even looked Wooseok’s way and now he wanted to protect that boy with his life, no matter what. Weird how life can challenge your most innate beliefs. His hand was still clasping Wooseok’s and that, plus having most of his friends around him and finally accepting his relationship, made him so emotional he had to squeeze his eyes shut to avoid anyone noticing the unshed tears. And then a voice made him regret that feeling immediately.</p><p>“Well, since we crashed your dinner already, we may as well eat it too.”</p><p>Telling them had definitely not been a good idea.</p>
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